facilitation in problem based learning mona lisa dahms ([email protected]) unesco chair in problem...

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Facilitation in Problem Based Learning

Mona Lisa Dahms ([email protected])UNESCO Chair in Problem Based Learning

Aalborg University, Denmark

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Facilitation in Problem Based Learning (PBL)

Outline:1) The PBL learning principles and philosophy2) Facilitation – good and bad3) Levels of and approaches to facilitation4) Tools for facilitators5) Situated facilitation

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PBL Learning Principles – 3 dimensions Cognitive dimension:

• Problem based• Contextualised• Action oriented• Experience based• (Project organised)

Content dimension:• Interdisciplinary• Exemplary• Theory – practice relation• Critical

Graff and Kolmos 2003;Freire

Collaborative dimension:• Participant directed• Team organised• Dialogic• Democratic

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PBL PhilosophyBased on a constructivist perception of learning and teaching:

– Learning is the student’s individual process of constructing knowledge and meaning in collaboration with peers

– Teaching is the ”setting up of a situation from which a motivated learner cannot escape without having learned” (Cowan)

In other words: – PBL is Student-Centred Learning– not teacher-centred teaching

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Facilitation in PBL

A change of role: From course lecturer to project facilitator?

From controlling teacher to enabling facilitator?

A change of mind-set –maybe a change of personality?

What makes a good facilitator ?• Facilitator and students are interested in the project• Students are facilitated "where they are”• Both parties know what their roles are• The facilitator shows empathy but does not act as a therapist• Both parties are flexible in the perception of academic work• The facilitator is concerned about all aspects of the project:

content, methods, theories, structure, documentation and collaboration

• The facilitator is aware of academic quality and communicate the criteria to the group

• The facilitator prevents that the group is ‘barking up the wrong tree’.

Based on Tienecker et al, 2005

What should be avoided ?

• Repeat from books what the students can read for themselves• Comment on early drafts as if they were chapters in a report• Suggest radical changes just before delivery• Go into details with formulations in early drafts• Act as a proof-reader• Require an list of contents before students have an overview

of the project• Take over the group's decisions• Restrict the focus to your own area of expertise• Expect that everything that is said is understood and realized• Base the judgment of students' knowledge on generalizations

Based on Tienecker et al, 2005

What rethoric should I use ?

ADVICING - A solution could be that you ...THERAPEUTIC - it will be all right ...QUESTIONING – How are you doing?DIAGNOSTIC - What goes wrong is that you ...LECTURING – If you had been to my course ...PRAISING - Well done!CRITICIZING - This is way too superficial ...MORALIZING – This is not the way to study ...COMMANDING - I must have a methodology section ...ESCAPING – Lets talk about this later ...IRONIC – This is easily done, right?

Lauvås og Handal, 2006

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Students’ opinion on facilitation

The good facilitator:

• Helps create overview in chaos• Cuts through in critical situations• Shows engagement and interest• Does not present solutions• Asks facilitating questions• Does not take control of the project but leaves it to the group

itself• Is well prepared and well informed

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Students’ opinion on facilitation

The bad facilitator:• Does not express opinions about affective questions• Does not give constructive feed back and criticism• Lacks interest and engagement in the project and/or the

students• Has poor knowledge about the students’ work and work

processes• OR:• Takes ownership of the project and tries to control the students’

learning processes

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AAU students on facilitation:• ”In the first year we had no idea what we can expect from

them and how to communicate with them. … Now we know what we can do on our part. If we have a specific problem we have to solve, we will tell him and be clear about what specific help we expect to get.”

• ”He was always there if you needed him. … If there was something he did not know, he would try his best to find it out… he would come back to us with something”

Xiangyun Du, 2005

Facilitator traps

1. THE RESPONSIBILITY TRAP Acting as project responsible

2. THE ACADEMIC TRAPFocus on content – not on students

3. THE SENTIMENTALITY TRAPAlmost as good as Mum/Dad

4. THE DROP-IN TRAPEverything seems to be O.K…..

5. THE POPULARITY TRAPI hope for a nice evaluation

6. THE IMPATIENCE TRAPSince I know it – why not tell them….

Based on Lauvås & Handal 2006

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/29/bed-trap.jpg

Three levels of involvement

1. The group member

2. The attentive visitor

3. The consultant

© SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

http://www.amtraining.co.uk/siteimages/support_cartoon.gif

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The group member

• Tends to be more product oriented and less process oriented• Gives discipline oriented facilitation with focus on product• Tends to take over responsibility for the project work• Is very active in choice of theories and methods• Gives answers instead of asking questions

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The attentive visitor

• Gives both discipline and problem oriented facilitation with focus on process

• Asks facilitating questions to students’ work• Stands at the side line, ready to step in or to withdraw

depending upon the situation• Points out directions to solutions rather than answers• Lets the students own the project

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The consultant

• Is only activated on request• Only answers the questions asked by the group • Leaves all decisions in connection with planning and control to

the group

Four approaches to facilitation

• Product facilitation• Process facilitation• Laissez-faire facilitation• Control facilitation

© SLP-gruppen, Aalborg UniversitetBased on Olsen and Pedersen

Product facilitation

• Traditional master-apprentice relationship

• Focus on the solution• Focus on documentation• Provide tips-offs and answers• Feels ownership towards the

project

• Risk: Students do not learn to work independently.

Make an index to the report as soon

as possible


http://www.perskycpa.com/Accountant.jpg

Process facilitation

• Leaves the ownership of the project to the students

• Facilitates the students’ learning processes

• More questions than answers• Values reflections on process,

theories and methods higher than a flawless product.

Try to formulate some questions - revise them continuously to manage

your project


• Risk: Students fear that lack of product orientation results in an unsatisfactory product.

http://www.peteofalltrades.com/db1/00078/peteofalltrades.com/_uimages/handy_man2.jpg

Laissez-faire facilitation

• Facilitates group members’ interest• Praises and encourages the group to

be independent and take responsibility for the project

• Interferes only on request

• Risk: Students feel a lack of engagement; facilitator uses this strategy to minimize time spent on facilitation.

Well everything seem to be working fine – so I might as well stay at home.


Control facilitation

• Facilitation is like being in an exam• The focus is on the forthcoming exam• The focus is on the individual

knowledge obtained during the project.

• Risk: Students keep facilitation at a minimum because it is scary

Can you please go to the blackboard and

derive the formula on page 10


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Four tools for facilitators

• Contract of cooperation with group• Learning outcomes of the project work• Regular meetings with the group, focussing on

– facilitating project work– questioning team work

• Process analysis

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Contracts of cooperation

Why ?• State explicit, mutual

expectations to cooperation

What?• Written document or oral

agreement

How? http://www.jacatools.dk/aftale.jpg

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Contracts of cooperationHow?Contents could be:• Meetings (Frequency; duration; preparation; procedure; follow-up)

• Communication between meetings• Feedback and criticism (Response to working papers; response to

the group process)

• External contacts• Mutually agreed project learning outcome

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Contracts of cooperation

• How?• Ask students formulate their expectations and their

obligations to you in writing• Formulate your own expectations and obligations to

the students in writing• Match the two contract drafts in a meeting with

students and agee upon a mutually binding contract

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Tools for facilitators




27Bloom, 1956.

Know-what

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

AssessmentLower level skills:1) Know-what

memorize2) Comprehension

translate, interpret3) Application

use in new situations

Higher level skills:4) Analysis

uncover relations between entities

5) Synthesisbuild something new of the entities

6) Assessment judge, evaluate

Learning outcomes - Bloom’s taxonomy

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Facilitating project work• Asking open-ended questions • using what, why, how, who, where, when• Encouraging students to do Post It-brainstorming• Mirroring students’ work and questions• Summarizing students’ work• Encouraging students to keep a dynamic list of question• Giving feedback by (re)thinking aloud

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Questioning team work

When starting the project: • Encourage students to put on the agenda discussion of:

– level of ambitions– how to share the work– how to cope with the work load– discipline of meetings– how to solve conflicts– social relations in the group

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Questioning team workDuring the project:• ask to the ways students organize their work and discuss

the working process• ask to special project functions• discuss objectives for the organizational aspects• give individual consultations• ‘feel’ the atmosphere - be present• let the students discuss• let students be in control• try to involve all the students

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Project facilitation - preparation

The Group (two days in advance) :• What have we accomplished (working papers)• What are we doing right now/where are we heading• Requested facilitation• Agenda for the meeting

The facilitator :• Read the working papers• Reflect upon and formulate questions to structure and

contents, overall and/or detailed as requested• Prepare for input to requested facilitation

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Project facilitation – meeting

The Group :• Chairs the meeting• Takes minutes• Presents the points of the agenda• Ensures that all members participate in the discussionsThe facilitator :• Facilitates the students’ own reflection by asking questions • Involves all students in the discussions• Secures reflections on:

– Contracts, working processes, progress, time schedule

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Project facilitation – follow up

The Group :• Sends minutes of the meeting to the facilitator• Discusses and assesses the input from the facilitator• Revises working papers, time schedules etc.

The facilitator :• Reads the minutes and replies • Follows up on requested tasks

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Process analysis

The underlying idea is reflection prompted by questions:– Description: WHAT did we do?– Analysis: HOW well did it work – and WHY?– Synthesis: What will we do differently in the next project?

Written at the end of the project period after handing in the report, but before the project exam. May be part of documentation for the exam.

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Situated facilitation

• Where in the education?• What type of projects and objectives?• Where in the project work process?• What type of students?

All collaboration holds potential conflicts

Needed: Ability to read the situation ….

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…and aligning different expectations

Students’ expectations

Study guide learning outcomes

Facilitator’s expectations

Project and documentation

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NOW OVER TO YOU AND YOUR QUESTIONS,

PLEASE.

This was all for now – Thank you for your attention

facilitation in problem based learning mona lisa dahms ([email protected]) unesco chair in problem...

Documents

project facilitator

good facilitator

project students

pbl learning principles

learning pbl outline

facilitation good

studentcentred learning

pbl philosophy